Intralesional Cidofovir for Recurrent Respiratory Papillomatosis in Children

Objective: To assess the potential benefit of intralesional administration of cidofovir, an acyclic nucleoside phosphonate with activity against several DNA viruses, for treating severe respiratory papillomas in pediatric patients.

Design: Prospective case series.

Setting: Tertiary care children's hospitals.

Patients: Five pediatric patients with severe recurrent respiratory papillomatosis requiring laryngoscopy with carbon dioxide laser therapy more frequently than once a month to maintain airway patency. Each patient underwent between 12 and 33 laryngoscopies with laser treatment prior to being injected with cidofovir.

Intervention: Microsuspension laryngoscopy with intralesional injection of cidofovir (Vistide) in conjunction with mechanical debulking and carbon dioxide laser of papillomas.

Main Outcome Measure: Papilloma stage at time of serial laryngoscopies.

Results: One patient was disease free and 3 patients demonstrated a dramatic response to adjuvant therapy with cidofovir at the 9-month follow-up visit after the last injection of cidofovir. One patient showed an improvement in papilloma stage that was possibly related to concurrent therapy with interferon.

Conclusions: Intralesional injection of cidofovir seems to be of benefit in the treatment of severe respiratory papillomatosis in pediatric patients. Larger prospective studies with longer follow-up will be required before cidofovir can be considered an accepted means of managing this difficult disease.